The Australian swimmer, who has won gold and silver medals so far, has slammed the Olympic Village’s “ridiculous”, conscious and environmentally friendly plans as not conducive to high performance competition, which may have marred her record-breaking performance.
Arianne Titmus won gold in the women’s 400m freestyle and silver in the 200m freestyle for Australia. To tell that the Paris organizers and their green living conditions were a disaster for the athletes, Daily Mail.
Titmus was disappointed on Saturday after failing to improve on his own world record in the 400 metres.
“It probably wasn’t the time I thought I could do, but it’s hard to perform when you live in the Olympic Village,” Titmuss exclaimed after winning gold.
“This is clearly not built for high performance so it’s really about who can stay mentally calm,” she added.
Some athletes have slammed Olympic organizers for their “sustainable” accommodation, which includes polythene mattresses, cardboard beds and no air conditioning. The vegan diet plan has forced many athletes to scramble to find other sources of food.
Australia’s swimming team head coach Rohan Taylor even noted that the national team had shipped in better food and air conditioning units to help athletes train more comfortably in preparation for the high-profile period.
Australian water polo star Tilly Kearns and teammate Gabi Palm echoed Titmus’ criticism, focusing specifically on the cardboard beds, with Palm saying her “back felt like it was going to fall off” after trying to sleep on them.
Former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen also slammed the Paris organizers for their green policies.
“There are several factors that make life in the villages less than ideal,” he said, adding that poor sleeping conditions were a major issue for athletes in Paris.
“There will be many athletes who miss out on medals during the two-week competition period… because they are nervous about this new environment,” he added. Sky News.
He further claimed: “I’ve never seen anything like this at the Olympics before. Never in the history of the Olympics have there been so many complaints about the village.”
Magnussen also slammed the food deficiencies.
“I was joking last night about how there are so few vegan options in the village and not enough meat,” Magnussen said.
“An Australian heavyweight boxer comes out and asks for lamb chops – but only two per person. This guy is six feet six inches tall and weighs no more than 110 kilos,” he continued.
Magnussen also said the times set by the swimmers in Paris were testament to the poor living conditions, with their times well below the world records.
“I don’t think it’s a slow pool. It’s like sleeping on a cardboard bed…. At the end of the day it’s about who can overcome these setbacks, who can put aside these distractions,” he said.
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